Page 27 of Whispers of Sweetwater

‘Could’ve been those city kids camping near the dam last week.’ The younger of the two men spoke in a hushed, yet still audible, voice.

A bloke with bushy grey eyebrows shrugged. ‘Maybe, but remember how old Kev’s nephew got into a spot of trouble in Dimbulah a few years back, maybe he’s fallen in with the wrong crowd again, and wreaking havoc on our town now.’

‘Yeah, possibly, but I don’t reckon he’d be that stupid. Kev would have his hide if he got in any trouble with the law again.’ The younger bloke rubbed his scraggly beard. ‘What do you reckon?’

‘I reckon you might be right,’ was the older man’s response.

Called up to the counter, Brianna left the conversation behind her, the suspicions of the men matching her own. Who had Molly upset? God only knew how she could ever make an enemy considering how lovely she was to everyone. And who would be so angry that they felt the need to destroy all that mattered to her? All the unanswered questions plagued her, and the weight of the local men’s words clung to her like the dry heat radiating off the bitumen alongside her. She shook it off as best she could – speculation was practically currency in towns like Sweetwater – but it left her uneasy. A few doors down she reached the bakery, and the bell above the door chimed a sweet, familiar note, a stark contrast to the chaos of the morning. The scent of fresh bread, vanilla slice and something buttery and savoury filled her lungs, grounding her for a moment in the comfort of normalcy. Behind the glass counter stood the owner’s wife, Lena, her apron dusted with flour and a tiny smear of Vegemite on her cheek.

Lena’s hands moved deftly, wrapping up a half-dozen sausage rolls for a customer, then after passing the brown paper bag over with a smile, she looked to Brianna. ‘Oh hey,’ she said a little less cheerily than normal. ‘I heard about Molly’s place. Bloody awful. And with you right down the lane, too, which I could only imagine would be unnerving.’ She reached over the counter and lightly touched Brianna’s arm. ‘Are you holding up okay?’

‘Oh, I’m all right.’

‘And Molly?’ Lena asked, her face crumpling in concern.

‘Molly’s shaken but strong.’ Brianna didn’t feel it was her place to say anything more. ‘I thought I’d grab some lunch for the clean-up crew, Hayden, Gavin, me, and Molly, of course. Anything hot, easy and morale-boosting.’

‘Coming right up.’ Lena smiled, swiftly loading up paper bags with pies and mini quiches. ‘I’ll pop in a few bits of lemon slice, too. Tell Molly it’s from the first tray I pulled this morning. Extra sugar on top. She always likes it super sweet, like her.’

‘She’ll love that, thanks so much, Lena,’ Brianna replied warmly.

She stepped aside to wait for her order, glancing around the bustling little shop. A few regulars were seated at the window, sipping tea and nibbling on pastries. Two elderly women sat at a small round table tucked into the corner. The Jenkins twins. Identical right down to their iron-straight silver hair and habit of clutching matching knitted handbags. She’d been to the house of one of their nieces to check in on a sick cat, and had met them there, briefly. They weren’t the friendliest of the Sweetwater locals, that was for sure. She subtly tried to listen in on their intense conversation, hoping it might give her something about Molly’s break-in – they were known to be the gossips of the town. Their voices were low, but not low enough to mask the sharp edge of suspicion. So, feeling bad but compelled, Brianna moved slightly closer so she could clearly hear what they were saying.

‘They say she’s been keeping more than just books in that shop of hers,’ said the first one – Mavis, if Brianna remembered right. Then, eyes darting left to right, she leant in over her almond croissant, eyes gleaming behind round spectacles. ‘I always said there was something off about Molly’s little project.’

The other twin, Grace, pursed her lips. ‘You mean, you think it’s a front?’

‘Exactly,’ Mavis hissed. ‘She was a teacher, then a librarian, then she found money to open that shop. And her brother, he was always a bit of trouble, in my opinion. Leopards and spots, Grace. Leopards and spots.’ She tutted, then took a dainty sip from her tea.

Brianna didn’t know that Molly had a brother. She’d never mentioned him.

‘Mmm. You might be onto something, Mavis,’ Grace replied, nodding.

‘My guess is it’s why her shop’s wrecked.’ Mavis tutted again. ‘You can draw your own lines, Grace, but mine connect quite neatly, I tell you.’

Brianna’s jaw tensed. She didn’t want to eavesdrop, not really, but how could she not? The kind of speculation dripping from these women’s mouths wasn’t just harmful, it was dangerous. Reckless. No one had any proof. Just fear disguised as fact. She stepped back from the counter slightly, keeping her expression neutral, but her eyes were trained on the reflection in the glass display.

‘It’s always the quiet ones,’ Mavis continued.

‘Sweetwater’s changing, and I don’t like it, Mavis, I don’t like it at all,’ Grace said mournfully. ‘It never used to be like this, back in our day.’

Their tone wasn’t angry, it was mischievous, gossipy. That made it worse. Like they were already writing the ending to a story they hadn’t even read properly. Brianna was sure Molly wouldn’t share too much about her life with women like them.

Lena returned with the bag of food, setting it on the counter with a warm smile. ‘Here you go, love. I threw in two extras. For strength.’ She brought a hand up to stop Brianna’s payment. ‘On me, least I can do with what’s happened.’

‘Thanks, Lena, that’s really kind of you.’ Brianna tried to smile in appreciation, although her lips trembled with all the things she wished she could say to the town natterers, making gossip out of Molly’s misfortune.

As she turned to leave, she met the gaze of the Jenkins twins. Mavis smiled at her with the saccharine smugness of someone who believed their worldview had just been proven right. Brianna held her stare for a beat longer than necessary, then gave a polite nod and stepped back into the brightness of day. The moment the bakery door clicked shut behind her, she exhaled. Maybe they were just harmless old busybodies. Maybe they were wrong. But what if they weren’t? What if there was more to the story of Molly’s café than anyone knew? Or what if someone had taken advantage of her kind nature, and now the cost was being paid in broken glass and whispered blame?

Carrying the warm parcels of food, she crossed the road slowly, her thoughts heavy. She didn’t believe Molly had knowingly invited danger into her life. But she also knew that Molly didn’t always see people the way others did. She led with her heart wide open.

And hearts that open often got hurt. By the time Brianna reached Chapter One, she felt a tension behind her ribs that wasn’t there before. She wasn’t sure yet what was happening in Sweetwater. But something was brewing. Something old and brittle, that was waiting to snap.

And the worst part?

She had a sinking feeling this was just the beginning.

The door to Chapter One creaked as she pushed it open with her elbow, the brown paper bags cradled in her arms. Sherlock scampered over to her with his ears perked, cautious in a way that unsettled her more than the silence. Gavin was perched on a stool, sorting nails into a plastic tub. Hayden stood near the counter, sleeves rolled, hands on his hips. His eyes lifted to hers as soon as she entered.